Missing £6m may be finish of Blair

BRITAIN'S embattled top cop is embroiled in a £6 MILLION credit card scandal that could end his career.

Sir Ian Blair faced fresh calls to quit as anti-corruption cops prepared to question DOZENS of Met detectives over a fortune missing from the force's accounts.

Greedy officers are alleged to have used police-issue American Express cards to splash out on luxuries for themselves like flat-screen TVs, holidays, restaurant bills, jewellery and Rolex watches.

The plastic is supposed to be for booking flights and accommodation on investigations.

But astonishingly the bills have gone unscrutinised for years-despite Sir Ian being warned about unauthorised spending on the Amex cards.

Disgrace

Last week two cops from the Met's SO15 counter-terrorism squad were arrested in connection with the scandal.

And we can reveal that Sir Ian rushed to tell Home Secretary Jacqui Smith about the latest shock developments on Friday in a bid to save his skin.

But the expenses disgrace -in which THREE THOUSAND Amex cards are to be scrutinised-comes just days after the London Assembly called for him to resign over the shooting of innocent Jean Charles de Menezes.

And it could be the final straw for the beleaguered commissioner.

A police source said: "He has always said he would go if there was evidence of systemic failure in the force. It's impossible to see him holding on to his job after this gets out. The arrests last week have blown the scam wide open.

"It's rife and it goes right across the Met. People will be stunned that he was aware there were issues around these cards being abused but did nothing to stop it."

Initial anti-corruption inquiries have revealed widespread abuse of the credit cards which has been "going on for three or four years".

Around £6million spent cannot be accounted for. The two anti-terror officers arrested so far-a detective constable and detective sergeant-are alleged to have blown £70,000 on shopping, clothes and gifts to fund a lavish lifestyle.

The man who warned Sir Ian about the growing scandal has slammed the London force's top brass.

Lord Harris, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority's corporate governance committee, said: "The slowness of the Met's leadership to respond to recommendations from their internal auditors has been a source of continued annoyance to me.

"We have been tightening up these processes and that is why these abuses are being uncovered.

"One of the concerns we raised a long time ago was the lack of a connection between expenses and receipts. The internal audit office identified this as a source of weakness.

" I am pleased something is now being done about it-but these recommendations have got to be treated much more seriously by the Met's senior commanders. We have tried to raise this with the management time and time again. We are making progress but it has been slow."

Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a senior member of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said the expenses scandal was the clearest sign yet that Sir Ian had to go.

He said: "There are now so many nails in Sir Ian Blair's coffin that he has no choice but to quit.

"His troubles mount up by the day and they expose the fact that there is now a total lack of direction and leadership at the head of the Metropolitan Police.

Failures

"We cannot have those who defend us continually found guilty of appalling lapses of judgement for failures of management without grave suspicion about the future of their leadership."

Meanwhile a Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police's directorate of professional standards is conducting a review around the issue and usage of the American Express cards. Any alleged criminality uncovered will be dealt with robustly. We have a comprehensive plan to recover outstanding monies."

Meanwhile, London Mayor Ken Livingstone delivered a stark warning that the independence of Scotland Yard could be undermined if its embattled commissioner was forced to quit.

Allowing Sir Ian to be "driven out" over the Stockwell tragedy could render the job of Britain's top policeman "worthless", according to Mr Livingstone.

He insisted both the government and other senior police officers were "determined" Sir Ian would stay.